Current State of Our Forest

Condition of Woodlands within the Mount Gretna Borough

The Southern Chautauqua Woodland is the largest contiguous block of forest owned by a single entity in Mount Gretna Borough. This tract forms the ecological backbone of the community’s landscape and is directly connected to nearly all other wooded areas within the Borough.

Because it lies upslope from much of the Borough, its condition directly affects stormwater flow, erosion control, and water quality downstream. Healthy woodland soils and root systems help slow and filter runoff before it reaches homes, roads, and streams. Its health also influences wildlife habitat and the historic woodland character across the entire footprint of Mount Gretna.

Although not part of Mount Gretna proper, the adjoining State Game Lands #145 directly border the Southern Chautauqua Woodland. Community recollections indicate that a salvage harvest of about 53 acres took place there in the late 2000s following severe gypsy moth defoliation. Since that time, residents along Temple Avenue have reported increased stormwater runoff into nearby properties, an issue that continues today. They recall that since that time, stormwater runoff into nearby properties has increased and continues to be an issue. While official records confirming the details of this harvest are limited, the observation is important because it highlights how changes in adjacent forests can have lasting effects on Mount Gretna’s landscape.

A Critical Link in a Larger Corridor

The Southern Chautauqua Woodland also forms a vital greenway connection to Pennsylvania State Game Lands #145, which covers over 3,000 acres of forest and habitat. In turn, these game lands link Mount Gretna to the Pennsylvania Highlands, the Pennsylvania portion of the larger Highlands Region — a forested landscape stretching through Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, and Connecticut. This connection is part of the Highlands Coalition’s recognized wildlife corridor, which provides migration routes, genetic diversity, and climate adaptation pathways for countless species. Protecting and managing these woodlands safeguards not just local habitat, but a piece of an interstate conservation network of national significance.

The Highlands Coalition, in partnership with the PA DCNR, has invested funding in permanently protected lands within this corridor. These programs highlight how conservation in the Highlands Region is supported at both the state and regional levels, underscoring the recognized importance of connected forests like those in and around Mount Gretna.

Tree Removal Statistics and Trends

In 2024, an upwards of 80 trees were reported to have been removed from Chautauqua-owned parcels, many of them mature canopy trees.

Additional removals have occurred on privately owned residential parcels, but no formal records are kept, making it impossible to quantify total tree loss across the community.

If this trend continues, the community will face substantial canopy loss within a single generation.

Research by forest ecologist Dr. Suzanne Simard and others shows that older trees often serve as “hub” trees, sharing water, nutrients, and chemical signals with surrounding younger trees through interconnected root and fungal networks. Removing these elder trees can weaken the resilience of those that remain, making the entire stand more vulnerable to pests, drought, and disease.

Without robust successional planting — replacing lost canopy with a mix of native saplings and mid-story species — forest structure can shift toward more open, degraded conditions within a decade. And once a mature canopy is lost, it cannot be replaced in our lifetime — regrowth to similar size and complexity can take 80–100 years or more.

Canopy Cover Changes Over Time

While no comprehensive GIS canopy analysis has been done for the Mount Gretna Borough woodlands as a whole, aerial imagery suggests that Mount Gretna’s woodlands may face similar rates of canopy decline unless proactive stewardship is in place.

• Noticeable canopy gaps forming where large oaks have been removed.

• Incremental edge loss along roads, trails, and utility corridors.

• Similar Appalachian Oak Forests in Pennsylvania typically lose 0.5–1% canopy cover annually without active stewardship, primarily due to pests, age-related decline, and development pressures.

Potential Future Scenarios Without Stewardship

Without coordinated management, the combined effects of pest infestations, invasive plants, extreme weather, and piecemeal tree removals could fragment the forest, diminish wildlife corridors, and reduce the ecological services residents rely on — from cooler summer temperatures to cleaner water in our lake and creek.

• • Accelerated Canopy Decline — Without mid-story trees to replace aging canopy oaks, canopy loss could occur rapidly within 10–20 years.

  • Increased Stormwater Runoff & Flooding — Reduced canopy interception and root absorption capacity could overwhelm stormwater infrastructure and increase erosion.

  • Loss of Historic Character — The wooded, shaded aesthetic that defines Mount Gretna would be diminished, impacting property values and tourism.

  • Biodiversity Decline — Loss of native trees and understory plants would reduce food and habitat for birds, pollinators, and other wildlife.

The Fork in the Road

All of Mount Gretna’s woodlands — both Chautauqua-owned and privately held — stand at a turning point. In just a few decades, the mature trees that have shaded our homes, cooled our summers, and anchored our sense of place for more than a century could be gone — replaced by thinner, fragmented stands unable to provide the same stormwater control, wildlife habitat, or woodland character. To see what this kind of shift can look like, visit the adjoining section of State Game Lands #145: areas once clear-cut after gypsy moth damage are now dominated almost entirely by tulip poplars, a monoculture with far less ecological resilience. This change would not happen overnight, but once the tipping point is crossed, recovery could take a lifetime.

What happens in the next decade will shape the character and resilience of our woodlands for generations.

The Southern Chautauqua Woodland, as the largest and most connected block, plays an outsized role in keeping this forest system intact. But its health is inseparable from the health of every wooded parcel in Mount Gretna — losses in one area ripple across the whole.

This is not just a question for large landowners. Every parcel, from the smallest lots to communal woodlands, contributes to the whole.

We have the knowledge, the tools, and the opportunity to choose a different future. By committing to thoughtful, science-based stewardship today, we can ensure that Mount Gretna’s forest remains a thriving, connected woodland for generations to come.